International Day of Forests 2014

Forests are home to more species than nearly any other ecosystem on the planet and provide a livelihood for millions of people. Their protection is in everyone’s best interest.

Forests are the first line of defence against climate change, storing nearly 300 billion tonnes of carbon in their living parts (biomass) – or roughly 30 times the annual amount of emissions created by burning fossil fuels. So, in a way, destroying them threatens us all.

Forested areas worldwide are under threat from an ever-increasing global thirst for commodities - from palm oil to pulp and paper, from timber to new roads.

Consumers don’t have to be part of this circle of forest destruction simply because of the products they buy and use every day. Today, on the International Day of Forests, Greenpeace calls on corporations to clean up their supply chains and for governments to better enforce legislation aimed at protecting our forests.